JOHANNESBURG, Nineteen people have been confirmed dead in last Thursday's train crash which occurred when a truck tried to dash across a railway crossing but failed to clear it in time in Kroonstad in Free State Province.

However, the death toll may rise even further after officials on Monday revealed that as many as 15 more people are still unaccounted for. Daisy Daniel, a spokesperson for the Shosholoza Meyl passenger train, said 15 people were still missing or unaccounted for following the crash which caused several passenger carriages to burst into flames.

Daniels was speaking at a walk-in and call centre at the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (PRASA) headquarters in Braamfontein, Johannesburg. The facility was established by the Department of Transport and PRASA to assist all those affected by the crashing.

Prasa spokesperson Sipho Sithole said: We have to deal with the deceased first because we don't know who the 19 are because of the state they are in, but we still have to find out through the DNA (tests).

Sithole said family members will be taken to Kroonstad for the identification process. Health authorities have said they will be ready to begin the identification process on Tuesday.

The walk-in center will help the injured with their claims. It will also provide information about the deceased and how Prasa will help families identify the bodies. We are still processing who are affected and how are they affected. We can't say much about paying hospital bills and funerals, said Sithole.